Dental caries is one of the most common oral health problems in school-aged children. This disease is multifactorial and can be influenced by individual behavior, personal hygiene habits, diet, and social environment. This study aims to analyze the influence of tooth brushing habits, child behavior, maternal role, diet, and snack consumption on the incidence of dental caries in full-day and non-full-day elementary school students in Unaaha District, Konawe Regency. This study was an observational analytic study with a cross-sectional design. The study sample was full-day and non-full-day elementary school students selected using proportional stratified random sampling technique with a sample size of 133 elementary school students. Data analysis used the Chi-Square test, Mann-Whitney test, and multivariate logistic regression. The results of the bivariate analysis showed that all variables had a significant relationship with the incidence of dental caries (p < 0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that diet was the dominant factor influencing the incidence of dental caries (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the incidence of dental caries between full-day and non-full-day schools (p = 0.321). In conclusion, dietary patterns play a significant role in the occurrence of dental caries in elementary school children, necessitating dietary control efforts and increasing parental involvement in caries prevention.
Sariyanti et al. (2025) studied this question.